Fate at Your Fingertips
by thehandthatishealing
Summary: For a planet that spawned some of the galaxies greatest heroes and most powerful villains, Tatooine is very boring. Right now, that's exactly what they need. A collection of one shots from my post TROS Ben lives universe. Some are happy, some are sad, but all borne of a love that saved the galaxy. Also on AO3
1. Solid Ground

They tell no one.

For now.

Finn and Poe think she's doing something "Jedi-y" (Poe's words). She'll tell them though, because this is her life now.

One day, when they've both healed some, emotionally, mentally, physically.

They are both orphans now, completely without family. A brief glimpse of an ancestor when they have a whim to show themselves doesn't count, and it's been weeks anyway since that last happened. Perhaps even they know that an appearance now could be too much for them.

Ben. Ben has to learn to be Ben again. He has to grapple with the realities of his actions when he was darkside, differentiate the maelstrom as vast as the Maw between accountability and the influence of the Sith. He's not the first to fall.

His mother, Rey's guiding light, is dead. As is his father, his uncle.

So much was lost to this war.

Rey watches Ben hover in the air, bathed in the soft light of Tatooine's dawn, impeccably still. She's reminded of what has been gained.

"You're making it hard to concentrate," he calls down to her suddenly, eyes still closed but the faintest of smiles on his lips.

Rey laughs but there's an undercurrent of worry.

Ever since Exegol, Ben's connection to the force has been… shaky. He's uncertain, hesitant. It's been a long time since he's meditated in the light.

Of course, having the life force sucked out of you by a Sith Lord is bound to have negative effects. She's not sure if he's trying to protect her, himself, or he's just so unfamiliar with the force in it's pure form that it might be too much for him.

But that's why they're here. Where it all started. They aren't hiding, they're healing. Together.

Ben must have sensed the shift in her thoughts. They still had their bond after all, pulsing steadily in the back of their minds, the bottom of their hearts. He lowers himself to the ground, coming to stand right in front of her.

"You don't need to stay for me," he says softly.

"I'm not," she whispers back, closing the remaining distance between them and resting her head on his chest.

His arms wrap around her and they close their eyes, immersing themselves in the warmth of their bond, the feel of each other, and the solid ground beneath them.


	2. The Follower

Ben was being followed.

Perhaps stalked was a better word.

Reaching into the force he could sense a desperate, hungry, single minded presence. An animal, clearly. He hadn't been on Tatooine for very long, but he had distinct memories of sitting at Uncle Luke's feet as a child, enraptured by his childhood exploits. They very often involved large creatures with venom and a lot of teeth.

He sensed a shift in the animal's focus. Before it was watching, waiting, but now it was determination and a laser sharp focus on its prey.

Its prey being Ben.

Rey was too far to be of any help to him now, he was on his own. He ducked into a nook in the canyon walls, unhooked his light saber from his hip, and waited.

There was a moment of confusion in the creature's mind, wondering where its quarry had gone. The sound of loose stones clattering down the side of the cliff echoed across the canyon walls. Then silence.  
Ben could feel the creature get closer to his hiding spot and knew he had to act now lest he get trapped in. He took a breath and jumped out, saber drawn and lit.

He stopped short and lowered his saber a bit. Instead of the multi horned and fanged beast he was expecting it was… a dog?

It was thin, too thin. Its dark brown coat matted and filthy. He took a step closer and it growled louder. He could feel its fear and desperation growing. Its eyes were wild, he'd seen eyes like that before.

Ben gently touched the creatures mind.

I will not hurt you.

He stayed perfectly still, using the force to reach into his pack and pull out a slab of bantha jerky. The dog's ears perked up and its eyebrows furrowed in curiosity as it watched the food hover in the air. Ben tossed it a few feet away and the dog jumped at it. The jerky was gone within seconds and the dog turned back to him. He sat and whined softly.

Ben deactivated his light saber and knelt slowly. He took out another piece of jerky and held it out, in his hand this time.

I will not hurt you.

The dog crept towards his outstretched hand and snatched the food away. When it was gone, he looked at Ben expectantly.

"That's all I've got buddy," Ben stood and put his light saber back on his belt.

"Be careful out there."

He took a few steps backwards before turning to continue home. He only made it a few feet before he realized that, once again, he was being followed.

Ben stopped and turned.

"Can I help you with something?"

The dog licked its lips and started panting.

"I'm sorry, I don't have any more food for you."

It took a few hesitant steps towards Ben.

"Okay, fine. Let's go."

He nodded in the general direction of home and started walking again. The dog kept a bit of distance between them but trotted after him.

"You're lucky Rey has a soft spot for strays."


	3. Sand Sliding

"Please stop laughing at me."

"I… I'm sorry Ben, really I am," Rey says, her words coming in hiccups and bursts. She tries and fails to swallow another set of giggles. "You just looked absolutely ridiculous!"

Ben doesn't laugh, but his mouth twitches ever so slightly. He stands and shakes the sand off his clothes and out of his hair.

"I have near perfect balance and coordination in the heat of fight against multiple attackers but for _some _reason, it's sliding down a kriffing sand dune that that bests me," he pouts, cheeks pink from another day in the sun.

"It's not all about balance," Rey says having mostly regained her composure, "you have to move with the sand. These dunes can feel fluid, move like water sometimes."

Ben huffs and trudges back up to the top of the dune where Rey is waiting for him. He drops the scrap of old ship hull on the ground and sits on it dramatically. He's much too big for it, his knees are tucked up beneath his chin to fit his large form onto the small surface.

It's a comical sight and Rey can't stop the laughter from bubbling out once more.

"I thought I asked you, politely, to stop laughing," Ben scolds with feigned offense.

"You are right, I am so terribly sorry."

"You know this might be easier if I had a better teacher."

"What more do I need to do? Sit on there with you?"

Ben's only reply is a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"Wow. You're incorrigible, you know that right?"

Ben nods impishly and looks shockingly like his father.

Rey walks over to where Ben sits and fits herself awkwardly between his knees.

"Much better."

"You need to take this seriously, Ben!"

"Yes master," he whispers, lips right above her ear."

Rey has to cran her neck to look up at him and fixes him with an exaggerated glare.

Now it's Ben's turn to laugh. It echoes though the canyon and Rey leans back into him. She's never heard him laugh like that.

It's a beautiful sound.


	4. It's Electric! (Boogie Boogie Boogie)

It's been three months now and Rey is still not used to it.

She might never be, Rey thinks, which really isn't too bad of a thought. This new closeness brings a nerve tingling intensity to every action. It's soothing and electrifying all at once. Even now, as Ben is dozing with his head is in her lap, she is aware of every heartbeat, every breath, each soft exhale from his nose.

She's supposed to be writing to Finn but the sight of Ben below her is distracting. His foot shifts at the other end of the couch in response to some imperceptible itch and it's in that very moment that a realization hits her like a sudden shout and a quiet whisper all at once.

Rey loves this man.

_I love you._

Ben smiles sleepily. His face is calm but she can feel the thrum of emotion underneath.

"I heard that," he says, his voice deep and gravely. His eyes remain closed.

"Good," she replies cheekily and leans down to kiss him.

He chuckles and turns his body so his face is pressed against her stomach and he can wrap an arm around her waist.

Ben sighs deeply and just before Rey feels him nodding off again, she hears it.

_I love you too._


End file.
